Back from Break

ひさしぶりえです！

So, I'm back from break now, sitting in my morning class. Thanksgiving this year was very good, since my parents came up from Belize to visit the States; they'll be here for a bit of a long stretch, so we'll probably see them for Christmas as well. I got all of my Christmas gifts early while they were here - mostly new clothes and shoes, and some books as well. Also got to trade in my old, dinosaur iPod for a new one - even though they only gave me about $25 bucks for it. But it didn't surprise me any.

Takeshi's birthday is tomorrow! He'll be 23 - but I guess my FIL forgot, and sent Takeshi an email that added in a, "happy 24th birthday." Oops. I gave Takeshi his presents early this time, but they were a little....lame. So I'm glad that my parents were generous enough to get him some things as well - they can afford to get him really nice stuff, compared to me! And he's so hard to shop for! Men. I hope to go out for dinner somewhere on his days off this week.

I wonder what the family is up to over in Suzuka. Probably the same old thing - FIL is going to work at the Honda plant, getting back at about 7pm - MIL is probably spending some time sewing up all kinds of things - GIL is staying at home doing the household chores and watching immense amounts of TV - and SIL is working somewhere teaching English, perhaps still in Nagoya. It's probably getting cold there in Mie-ken, with blustery winds. Mister Donut probably has some new fall/winter/holiday donuts coming out.

Gah. I'm homesick now. Can I visit one of you ladies in Japan? I'd FedEx myself to you. Haha. ;)

We've only got 3 more weeks of the semester's classes before winter break. All the profs are gearing up for final projects and such. I've got to assemble and turn in my portfolio by the 14th for review. I've got most of the pages designed and laid out so I just need to print them at the college.

Yesterday, Monday, was the first day back at classes - my morning (and only) class didn't last long at all, so I left and went to the print shop on the 2nd floor to work on my monotype prints due on Wednesday. I got all of them done - they only bad part was that I was doing Xerox transfers - which includes using lacquer thinner. You usually don't want to inhale that chemical at all. I tried to go quickly as possible. The process goes as such: you print out an image from a Xerox printer - you put it face down on another piece of paper - you rub the lacquer thinner (with gloves on) on the paper = you transfer the image onto the paper.

I don't get into the Christmas spirit too much usually - not one of those people who decorate everything they own or whatnot. If I ever get into the holiday spirit a little, it's usually half-way through December. I wish the holidays this year weren't spent in Lancaster, PA AGAIN. Hard to get into to the spirit when it's a small, backwater town! Or maybe I'm being too much of a scrooge. I can definitely say that by next Christmas, we'll be somewhere else. That's something to look forward to.